PURPLE SEMINAR

DAY 1: 11th JULY

Is there still a future for AD in electricity generation? With energy from wind and solar becoming cheaper by the day it will be more challenging for AD to compete in future, despite its ability to deliver baseload no matter what the weather. Will biomethane be the key, with heat and transport becoming the future of AD? This session will discuss what the global AD industry might look like a decade from now.

Speakers:

Chair: William Mezzullo, Head of AD Asset Management, John Laing Environmental Assets Group

Natural gas still plays an essential role in heating today, with 80% of UK homes reliant on gas, but the UK needs to urgently reduce emissions from this sector if it is to meet its climate change commitments. The Committee on Climate Change considers biomethane deployment to be a ‘low regret option’, but with the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) closing to new applicants in 2021, there is a huge policy gap for biomethane support thereafter. This session will discuss what the successor to the RHI needs to look like.

UK AD experts and policy makers will give an update on and explain how to make the most of the latest subsidies and incentives, including the Renewable Heat Incentive, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, CFDs and the Feed-in Tariff.

The UK AD industry has long pushed for food waste to be collected from all households and businesses and recycled through AD. When this does happen, how many AD plants will need to be built to process all the UK’s inedible food waste? And what other infrastructure will need to be in place?

Speakers:

Chair: Dr Thom Koller, Policy Manager, ADBA

Peter Jones, Senior Consultant, Eunomia

Paul Killoughery, MD, Biocollectors

Food waste collection – there’s more to it than just caddies and linersMike Gardner, Local Authority Account Manager, WRAP

AD plants enable farms to diversify their income as well as contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but how can a farmer afford to build a plant from scratch? How effective are tax breaks and government-backed loans? With growing evidence of the carbon saving that AD brings, how can the industry lobby governments for more support in building AD plants? And what other solutions may there be?

Speakers:

Chair: Brian Denney, Regional Environmental Director, Pegasus Group

Charlie Sheldon, Senior Investment Manager, Foresight Group

Richard Barker, Adviser and Investment Committee Member, Iona Capital

Nick McAllister, Development Director, Farm Renewables

What makes a good AD projectDan Purvis, Senior Investment Manager, The Ingenious Group

Anaerobic digestion and biogas are best-kept secrets as green technologies that can significantly contribute to the transition to a low-carbon, circular global economy Would a biogas brand be the solution to raise awareness of their sustainability credentials among the world’s populations, politicians and business leaders? Would it help achieve the public recognition and endorsement that the industry deserves?

Speakers tbc

DAY TWO: 12th JULY

AD is currently known for producing energy and digestate. This incredibly versatile industry has, however, a much greater long-term potential to produce volatile fatty acids, poly-lactose for plastics, and other biorefined products. This session will explore the higher-value outputs that AD could yield in years to come.

With Brexit fast approaching, the UK Government is looking at new ways to support farmers. With Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, considering rewarding public goods such as environmental protection, there is now a huge opportunity to make the case for AD as an essential tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farming.

Safety for workers and the local environment should be of paramount importance to the operation of AD plants. From plant design and avoiding explosions, fire, and asphyxiation through to staff training and new monitoring tools and techniques, there is a lot to consider. What safety-related lessons have been learnt as the AD industry has grown? How can the AD industry ensure it creates a strong safety culture among operators?

The initial investment required to build an AD plant is often an insurmountable barrier to the development of new plants in the industrialised world, yet we know that it is possible to build plants in low-income countries at a fraction of the price. Can we reduce the price of building plants and related infrastructures without compromising their safety and operational efficiency?

Speakers:

Chair: Dr Mike Mason, Chairman, Tropical Power

Mark Clayton, Managing Director, QUBE Renewables Ltd

Alan Midwinter, Head of Renewable Development, Scotia Gas Networks

We are certainly NOT Cutting Corners in order to reduce the costs of building a biogas plant!Daniel Scheven, CEO, AcrEnergy

As the AD industry slowly moves towards being zero-subsidy, it is essential for operators to increase the efficiency of their plant and use new technologies that will add value to the plant. This session will introduce some of the latest technologies that could revolutionise the industry.